(I Can’t Get No) SATISFACTION is a song from the Baby Boomer era made famous by the Rolling Stones and Dawson, Ga.’s own Mr. Otis Redding. This song should be the theme song for Augusta taxpayers, for they receive little satisfaction from the city government.
All concerned citizens should gather one evening at the Augusta Commons and have a group singalong of this song.
Opinion
It could be a special performance to the city bigwigs.
Of course, the city-elected administrator and department heads would counter with their own song of choice, “We Ain’t Got ” enough money or employees to do the job. Yes, this song has been sung so often, no one any longer needs the sheet music.
With a billion-dollar budget it, seems like many projects can be done and completed. Sadly, NO. Can’t get the repairs for Diamond Lakes done correctly. Can’t repair the Boathouse, Lake Olmstead Stadium, Fleming Park, Dyess Park, can’t fill potholes, much less pave a road.
I can’t get no, ah no no no no!
Less than half of property taxes paid go into the city budget. The rest goes to the Richmond County Board of Education.
The city also receives income from various sources such as sales tax, tax on a business’s gross receipts, building permits, automobile tag tax, alcohol permits, stormwater fees, TIA and SPLOST, as well as franchise fees.
So, you see, the money is coming into the budget. Problem is, where is it? The 2020 census says Augusta has a population of 206,000 people. Not 206,000 money trees.
Can’t get no…
“We’ve got personal lives,” that’s what a couple of commissioners were saying loudly after not attending an emergency called meeting by Mayor Garnett Johnson concerning the ambulance dilemma.
Can’t get no satisfaction, yeah, oh no, no satisfaction…oh yeah.
One commissioner had a prior business obligation, one had a work-related training session, one was not heard from at all and one was out of town attending a national organization’s meeting even though she is on the committee that deals with Public Safety. I guess the ambulance contract wasn’t as important.
Commissioner Bobby Williams wasn’t there, and that was no surprise to anyone. Commissioner Bobby Williams has always been vocal about where he stood on the matter.
Now, it was very interesting to have one of the missing commissioners come back into chambers and complain of being tired of the political games people are playing. Make no mistake: this was exactly what it appeared the missing five were doing, making up a collaboration that could confound the congregation and ultimately not provide an explanation.
Some useless information supposed to fire my imagination…I can’t get no…
The real issue is that people’s lives are at peril while this buffoonery is happening.
Congratulations to the mayor and five commissioners who performed their duties as expected. Commissioners Frantom, McKnight, Mason, Guilfoyle and Mayor Pro Tem Garrett showed up and did their jobs, and they have now shown solidarity with Mayor Garnett Johnson.
With regard to the pending legislation that would give the mayor a vote, commissioner Stacy Pulliam voiced her opinion that a study committee should be formed to determine whether the measure would be a good idea:
“Get the Carl Vinson Institute of Government involved. Get the public involved. Let’s hear all we can hear from the people we want to hear from. Hear their input, hear my input. Hear me, hear me, bleat, bleat, baaaahhhh.”
Commissioner Francine Scott also seemed to think this a good idea. She, too, favored delaying the process until it becomes a never ending process of processes.
No satisfaction!
The citizens who actually care are already involved, and they are not behaving like sheep under Pulliam’s care. They know, because they come to meetings, watch online, watch and listen to the news, and they read The Augusta Press.
At this point, some citizens support giving the mayor a vote and some do not. Therefore, it is best that this issue be decided by the voters at the polls.
Another study rumored to be needed is whether Harrisburg floods when it rains.
Really?
There is a simple way to get an answer to that question. All they need to do is put an engineering employee in a city-owned truck and direct them to ride around Harrisburg after a rainfall.
The answer to the question will be a non-surprising: YES.
Now see how quick and simple these supposed studies got done? Didn’t take weeks or months and didn’t cost thousands upon thousands of dollars.
It’s just Common Sense.
